With the graves of 522 Civil War veterans and a few Revolutionary War patriots, the 34-acre Aulenbach's Cemetery could be considered hallowed ground.

But someone needs to tell that to vandals who toppled dozens of the larger granite gravestones last weekend. The stones themselves are mostly undamaged, but it may require tens of thousands of dollars in labor and equipment to right them, said Sandra Stief, the cemetery's caretaker and historian.

"We've never had so much damage in the history of the cemetery, said Stief, whose husband, Donald, is president of the cemetery association.

Stief said about 50 stones were pushed off their base at the burial ground in the 2000 block of Perkiomen Avenue. The cemetery will have its 160th anniversary next year.

She doesn't think the damage was the act of teenagers looking for something to do.

"We've had kids do one or two (overturned stones)," she said. "It had to take hours to go from one stone to the next in different areas of the cemetery. Someone has it in for the cemetery."

It costs about $200 per stone to set them upright.

Reading police and Central Berks Regional police are investigating, because the cemetery is in the city and Mount Penn, which Central Berks covers.

Donald Stief said, "It's not the first time the cemetery has been treated poorly."

Last year, more than 20 shopping bags filled with dead chickens that investigators said were ritually slaughtered were dumped in the cemetery. Stief said the cemetery has been the scene of similar dumpings.

Commissioner Mark C. Scott, whose secretary, Michelle Kircher, serves on the Aulenbach cemetery board, this week asked if the county sheriff's department can keep an eye on the cemetery.

Sheriff Eric J. Weaknecht said he would be glad to extend the services of his department, much as his deputies help Reading's depleted police force by driving through high-crime areas of the city during their regular duties to help police maintain a law enforcement presence.

Crime Alert President Barry E. Rohrbach said he discussed the matter with Central Berks Police Chief Anthony C. Garipoli Sr. Plans are to place Crime Alert Berks signs around the cemetery to let vandals know that a cash reward is on their heads.

Crime Alert will pay a reward to anyone who provides tips that lead to an arrest in vandalism at the cemetery, Rohrbach said.

He invited anyone with information that might help catch the vandals to call Crime Alert's tip line at 610-373-9913.